Community
Through engagement and empowerment, we encourage residents to take charge of their neighborhoods.NEIGHBORHOOD REVITALIZATION IS MORE THAN HOUSING DEVELOPMENT
Our approach to community building focuses on engagement and empowerment. We encourage residents to take charge of their neighborhoods, to create block parties, organize street clean-ups and reach out to neighbors.
OUR IMPACT IN OUR NEIGHBORHOODS
Resident Leadership
We’ve trained over 150 residents through Community Leadership Institutes (sponsored by NeighborWorks® America) and NHS Resident Leadership Workshops.
Beautification
We work with artists to facilitate installation of murals and other public art throughout Greater New Haven.
Fun
We celebrate our community with annual events like the Multicultural Family Festival, Water Festival, block parties, and a Valentine’s Breakfast for NHS homeowners.
EVERYONE DESERVES A HEALTHY NEIGHBORHOOD
We meet people where they are and listen. Then we assess the public image, market forces, physical conditions, and resident engagement in each neighborhood where we work. This enables us to build healthy neighborhoods with our partners and volunteers.
DEVELOP YOUR LEADERSHIP SKILLS
Our Resident Leadership Program can help you:
Unlock your innate leadership skills, with classes like Art and Science of Leadership and Understanding Power for Community Change
Discover how to find and map your neighborhood’s unique resources, and learn to use them to make a positive difference in the community
Learn techniques to create change in classes on Leading Great Meetings & Planning Successful Campaigns
SPEAK UP
Community Management Team meetings occur once a month in each police district.
Find out what’s happening in your neighborhood as city representatives, businesses and other residents share information and address neighborhood issues.
Connect with your neighbors & civic leaders
Share your thoughts about neighborhood issues with local government officials, who are there to serve you.
Volunteer
“I chose NHS because I wanted to work outside, engage with community members, and learn about a local organization doing niched but broad work.”
~Kathryn Paton, Yale student, NHS volunteer
LIGHTEN UP
Have your street lights been upgraded to LED? Would you like porch or side yard lights in your home? Would you like a home with an NHS lamppost out front?
START A GARDEN
Apply what you learned in our Gardening workshops and fill a vacant lot with healthy vegetables and beautiful plants. The New Haven Land Trust can help you start a community garden.
BEAUTIFY YOUR YARD WITH A FREE RAIN GARDEN
A rain garden diverts water than runs off your roof away from the municipal storm water system and into a garden filled with water-tolerant plants. This prevents runoff from flowing into the sewer system, polluting our rivers and oceans. Rain gardens also allow rain and snowmelt to seep into the ground, where it is naturally filtered before returning to the groundwater table.
In times of drought, plants (trees, flowers, agricultural crops, garden vegetables) need an extra source of water. A full groundwater table can support plants during a drought. A depleted groundwater table leads to saltwater contamination, resulting in less food for people and wildlife.
(some restrictions apply)





